The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed a high-powered independent committee to file its interim report within two weeks on the steps being taken to clear encroachments from defence lands across the country. The directive came after the Centre informed the court that several state governments, their entities, and others have encroached upon defence land and that efforts are underway to remove them.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order while hearing a PIL filed in 2014 by NGO Common Cause , which sought a probe into the alleged encroachment and misuse of defence land nationwide.

Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench that the committee, constituted by the Centre to oversee the removal process, has been visiting sites and identifying encroachments.

See Full Page